On August 28th, 2020, His Holiness Aram I received the Ambassador of Lebanon to Vatican Dr. Farid Elias Al-Khazen. They talked about the current economic, social and political situation in Lebanon and Vaticanās approach and role in this regard. Ā Ā Ā
On August 26th, 2020, His Holiness Aram I assigned HG Bishop Meghrig Parikian as the Dean of the Armenian Theological Seminary. By the ordinance of the Catholicos, V. Rev. Fr. Boghos Tinkjian, who served as the Dean for the past four years, will be departing on a new mission on a diocesan level. Bishop…
A phone conversation was held between His Holiness Catholicos Aram I and the Prelate of the Armenian Prelacy of Aleppo Bishop Massis Zoboyan, during which the Catholicos inquired about the situation of the Aleppo Armenians and reaffirmed the solidarity of the Catholicosate of Cilicia to the Syrian Armenian community. His Holiness was content to…
By the ordinance of His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, HE Archbishop Shahan Sarkissian initiated the reorganization of the departments of Manuscripts and Ancient Books of the Library of the Catholicosate of Cilicia. On Tuesday, August 18th, 2020, His Holiness Catholicos Aram I visited the library for a briefing on the process, and commended the…
On Monday, August 17th, 2020, the representative of Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church visited His Holiness Aram I in St. Mary Monastery in Bikfaya. He transmitted the greetings of the Patriarch, as well as extended a letter of condolence on the occasion of the Beirut Blast. In the letter, Patriarch Kirill also…
On Sunday, August 16th, 2020, His Holiness Catholicos Aram I presided over a solemn Divine Liturgy, which was celebrated by Bishop Magar Ashkarian, on the occasion of the Feast of the Assumption of the Holy Mother of God, at St. Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral in Antelias. Ā At the end of the Liturgy, His Holiness…
As recently announced, the Catholicosate of Cilicia has initiated a fundraising campaign, dedicated to the restoration of the Lebanese Armenian community. His Holiness Catholicos Aram I has appealed for all donations to be made to a special account opened for this purpose in Geneva. The collected funds will be transferred to the Lebanese Armenian Rehabilitation…
On Saturday, August 15th, 2020, His Holiness Aram I received the visit of the Executive Members of the Tekeyan Cultural Association Foundersā Body composed of Ani Latchinian-Magarian and Dr. Hovig Vartanian, headed by the chairperson Hagop Kassardjian. Ā They discussed the activities and future projects of the Association, as well as the concerns that the…
An increase in coronavirus cases have been recorded in Aleppo, including the Aleppo Armenian community. In this regard, His Holiness Aram I is closely following the situation, and held phone conversations with Bishop Masis Zoboyan, Prelate of Armenian Prelacy of Aleppo, and responsible bodies in the Armenian community.Ā Ā Addressing the needs of the community,…
On Wednesday, August 12th, 2020, His Holiness Catholicos Aram I and PM of Armenia Mr. Nikol Pashinyan conducted a phone conversation, where the Catholicos highly commended the humanitarian aid sent to Lebanon over three consecutive days. Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā On the evening of the same day, the ambassador of Armenia Mr. Vahagn Atapekyan visited His Holiness…
On Tuesday morning, August 11th, 2020, His Holiness Aram I visited the Armenian churches in Beirut and the suburbs to closely inspect the damages. He was accompanied by the prelate of the Armenian Prelacy of Lebanon, members of the Diocesan Council of Lebanon and Cilician brothers. Ā Upon his visit, Aram I encouraged the Armenian…
In response to the Beirut explosion on August 4th, the Lebanese Armenian Rehabilitation Commission was created, at the instigation of His Holiness Catholicos Aram I. The Commission will cater to the needs of the families effected by the blast, as well as by the economic crisis and the Covid-19 in Lebanon. Ā The Prelate of…
On Sunday, August 9th, 2020, a phone conversation was held between His Holiness Aram I and Armenian PM Mr. Nikol Pashinyan. Pashinyan informed the Catholicos about the incoming humanitarian aid by the Republic of Armenia to both the Lebanese State and the Armenian community, while Aram I gave a general account on the casualties and…
Following the Sunday Divine Liturgy, on August 9th, His Holiness Catholicos Aram I received the visit of the delegation of the Republic of Armenia composed of the Ambassador of Armenia to Lebanon Vahagn Atabekyan, Head of the Armenia-Lebanon Friendship Group Hrachya Hakobyan, High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs Zareh Sinanyan, Chief of Staff to the Office…
His Holiness Aram I presided over the Divine Liturgy celebrated on Sunday in St. Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral, where in attendance were the delegation representing the Republic of Armenia, the representative of the Armenian bloc in the Lebanese Parliament, representatives of the three Armenian political parties in Lebanon. During the Divine Liturgy, His Holiness Aram…
On Friday, August 7th, 2020, His Holiness Catholicos Aram I received the newly appointed committee of the Armenian Democratic Liberal Party in Lebanon, headed by Avedis Dakessian. Ā The committee expressed their total solidarity with His Holinessā recovery initiatives and his pontifical message, and briefed the Catholicos on future perspectives of the party. Ā In…
The devastating blast of 4 August 2020 at the Beirut port put Lebanon once more on the front pages of the global media. The citizens are outraged but count on the support of the international community. Coming on the heels of the Covid-19 pandemic and the mishandling of the economy by the countryās corrupt leadership,…
Phone calls expressing solidarity following the Beirut explosion were received from the President of the Republic of Armenia Mr. Armen Sarkissian, the President of the Republic of Artsakh Mr. Arayik Harutyunyan, the former President of Armenia Mr. Serj Sarkissian, Catholicos Karekin II of All Armenians, Archbishop Sahak II Patriarch of Constantinople, the prelates of the…
Immediately after the Beirut explosion, His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, accompanied by a few Cilician brothers, headed to the Armenian neighborhood in Bourdj Hamoud, where he toured the streets with the mayor and representatives of various community bodies, learned about the condition of the area, and visited and blessed the injured. Ā Note that His…
During a phone call with His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, the Armenian PM Mr. Nikol Pashinyan expressed his concerns following the Beirut explosion and solidarity to the Armenian community in Lebanon, while His Holiness informed the PM on the situation in Beirut following the blast.
Ā The massive explosion today evening at the Port of Beirut resulted in damages to the Catholicosate of Cilicia. There was substantial damage to the doors, chandeliers and windows of the Cathedral, as well as the residences of the clergy and the Catholicos, the offices of the Catholicosate’s departments, and the Cilicia Museum.
